Brassiere support

ABSTRACT

The brassiere has a bendable support member disposed therein and a stiffer shock-absorbing resilient member attached to the support member and the brassiere. A woman&#39;s breast bends the support member outwardly along the bendable line to a first position and the shock-absorbing resilient member is extended from a rest position to a first extended position and a lower end of the brassiere is pressed against the body. The breast then applies a load on the support member and to bend the support member further outwardly from the first position to a second position and the resilient member is extended from the first extended position to a second extended position. The member and the support member provide a pulling force that is greater than the load of the breast an d the support member is then bent inwardly past the first position and the resilient member is retracted.

PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. national phase application based uponInternational Application No. PCT/US00/18572, filed Jul. 6, 2000; whichclaims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/142,361, filedJul. 6, 1999.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method of using a brassiere includinga band-shaped support member made of a bendable supporting material anda stiffer shock-absorbing resilient member.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Brassiere products have been worn by women for several decades. Forexample, a brassiere is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,008. Onepurpose of brassieres, in general, is to reduce the load of the shoulderbands of the brassieres, particularly when the brassieres are used tohold a heavy bust. However, many women still suffer from back andshoulder ache. This is particularly true for women who participate insports activities and/or have larger sized breasts. Many attempts havebeen made to solve this problem. For example, sports bras have beendeveloped that hold the breasts very tight to the body. These types ofbras are both uncomfortable and make it difficult for the woman tobreathe. There is a need for a better solution that provides adequatesupport and permits normal breathing.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improvement to thepreviously known constructions that, in addition to reducing the load ofthe shoulder bands, also supports the breasts from below and distributesany uneven load from the two breasts, and provides the bust, as a whole,with an improved support without impeding the required breathingmovements of the diaphragm, and that generally provides the bearer ofthe brassiere with a better body position.

The brassiere of the present invention thus reduces the load from theshoulder bands, which is an important advantage, especially for womenwho are involved with heavy work because the load from the shoulderbands often causes the wrong body posture and, thus, other problemsrelated to the shoulders, neck and back. The shoulder bands also oftenpress on the nerves so that parestesies and numbness occur in the armsand hands of the bearer of conventional brassieres. Tests have shownthat the loads on the shoulders are reduced by about 80% by using thebrassiere according to the present invention, which results in asubstantial reduction of the pressure on the plexus brachialis andcervical nerve roots. Another surprising effect of the present inventionis that the ligaments of the breasts are not damaged during exercise andother stringent activities.

Conventional brassieres that are only designed to support the front ofthe breasts, often cause an improper body position of the woman, whichis worsened by the tensions from the shoulder bands. Because the supportmember of the brassiere and the garment of the present invention extendto at least a portion of the back portion the woman's body, positionwhen standing up while using the brassiere is improved. The brassiere ofthe present invention, therefore, prevents improper body posture.

Conventional brassieres often cause problems for breast-operated womenwho have a prothesis operated into the breast, because the differentloads from the two breasts and the lower tight band of the conventionalbrassieres often wear and irritate the scar of the surgery. There isalso a substantial risk for such surgically-operated women to developlymphodem, which is substantially worsened if the patient carries abrassiere with a large load from the shoulder bands and support bandsthat are located below the breasts. This risk is thus reduced by thebrassiere of the present invention and, because the support memberextends from the middle portion of the brassiere to at least a portionof the back portion and the brassiere also, with the exception of thecups, is, preferably, made of an elastic material so that the loads fromthe breasts are evenly distributed and prevents any unnecessary painfrom the surgical scar. Of course, other suitable elastic and un-elasticmaterials may be used, depending upon the needs of the female users.Also, the cups may be made of a flexible material, if desired.

The brassiere of the present invention also provides the bust, as awhole, with a very good support and is, therefore, suitable for sportactivities, especially sports and other physical movements that causethe breasts to move up and down, such as running, aerobics, horse-backriding, tennis soccer and other sports. It is important to properlysupport the breasts to prevent unnecessary damage to ligaments resultingfrom jumping and pushing. Because the elastic material and the cups arecut so that a portion of the elastic material between the cupssubstantially has the shape of an “upside-down V”, the movement of thediaphragm is not impeded noticeably; that is, the breathing is notimpeded either. Conventional brassieres have stiff bands that extendover this area and hindered breathing.

According to a preferred embodiment of the brassiere of the presentinvention, a transverse edge of an end portion of the support memberthat is turned towards the mid-portion of the brassiere is sloped acrossat least a portion of the width of the support member. In this way, whenthe transverse edges of the support members are engaging one another atthe middle portion of the brassiere, they form an “upside-down V”. Thisfurther promotes the free movement of the diaphragm because the supportmembers do not substantially bear against the diaphragm. Furthermore,the support member does not have any protruding corners that maypenetrate into the body fat, such as when the woman bends forward, andthe support member generally adapts better to the shape of the body andbreasts.

The support members are, preferably, disposed in their own pocketsformed in the brassiere. The support member may move a certain extentwithin each pocket which enables them to smoothly follow the movementsof the body and may make such movement easier rather than prevent suchmovement. Because the support member is not completely fixated, themember is permitted to support and lift the breast in a positive waythat gives the bearer of the brassiere great freedom of movement.

The transverse edge of the support member may be provided with a guidedevice that ensures correct position in the brassiere. It is veryimportant that the support member is in the correct position in thebrassiere and, thus, relative to the body of the bearer so that thefunction is satisfactory. If the support members are misplaced, they donot provide the breasts with the intended support.

More particularly, the support member of the present invention isdisposed in each half of the brassiere from an area at a middle pointthereof and in a direction towards the back portion of the brassiere.The member is foldable along a longitudinal line that partly extendsmainly along a bottom edge of the cup of the half portion of thebrassiere so that the use of the portion of the band-shaped supportmember that is disposed on one side of the line supports the undersideof the breast while being support by the other portion that is disposedunder the breast and bears against the body of the bearer of thebrassiere. The band-shaped member has transverse slits defined thereinalong the edges of the member so that the support member may adapt tothe shape of the breast and the body.

More particularly, the brassiere has a bendable support member disposedtherein and a stiffer shock-absorbing resilient member attached to thesupport member and the brassiere. A woman's breast bends the supportmember outwardly along the bendable line to a first position, and theshock-absorbing resilient member is extended from a rest position to afirst extended position, and a lower end of the brassiere is pressedagainst the body. The breast then applies a load on the support memberand to bend the support member further outwardly from the first positionto a second position and the resilient member is extended from the firstextended position to a second extended position. The member and thesupport member provide a pulling force that is greater than the load ofthe breast and the support member is then bent inwardly past the firstposition, and the resilient member is retracted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to explain the invention in more detail, an exemplaryembodiment of the brassiere of the present invention will now bedescribed in more detail, with reference to the attached drawings ofwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the brassiere of the present invention withthe support member indicated in one of the brassiere halves; and

FIG. 2 shows a plane view of the support member of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a plane view of an alternative embodiment of the supportmember of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is schematic side view of the support member in differentpositions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1-4 the present invention has a front portion ofa brassiere 2 that has shoulder bands 4 and cups 6, 8 to comfortablyhold the breasts of a woman. Elastic support portions 10, 12 disposedbelow the cups 6, 8 are made of an elastic material, for example anelastic material that is sold by Piave under the trademark TOPTEX®. Thecups 6, 8 may be made of a non-flexible fabric or of a flexiblematerial.

The elastic support portions 10, 12 and the cups 6, 8 are preferably cutso that the elastic support portion extend up into an area to form asubstantially “upside-down V” in a middle portion 14 disposed betweenthe cups 6, 8. In this way, the diaphragm of the woman using thebrassiere 2 may freely move during breathing.

An elongate band-shaped support member 16 is disposed in each half ofthe brassiere. Preferably, the support member 16 is sewn into aprotective bag 17 to further protect the brassiere 2 and the supportmember 16. The support member 16 may extend from an area at the middleportion 14 of the brasserie 2 toward a back portion 19 of the brassiere2. Preferably, at least ⅔ or more of a length of the support member 16is disposed in the support portions 10, 12 to optimize the support ofthe breasts disposed in the cups 6, 8.

The support member 16 is bendable along a middle portion 21 and ispositioned in such a way in the brassiere 2 that the middle portion 21extends substantially along a lower edge 23 of the cups 6, 8.Preferably, the support member 16 is thickest in the middle portion 21to provide sufficient supporting effect. In this way, the support member16 may, when the brassiere 2 is used to hold the breasts, adapt itselfto the curved transition area between the underside of the breasts andthe body along the lower edge 23. A plurality of holes 25 are disposedalong the middle portion 21 to provide adequate ventilation through thesupport member 16.

The support member 16 is, preferably, made of a bendable but relativelystiff plastic material, or any other suitable material, that is usedwithin the health-care industry. The material should not emit anyharmful matters. A 100% polyethylene material has shown to be a suitableplastic material but other suitable materials and plastics may also beused.

The support member 16 and the bag 17 are removably inserted in a pocketdisposed between an inner lining and an outer fabric of the brassiere 2.The support member 16 is not rigidly disposed but has some movabilitywithin the pocket which enables the support member 16 and a member 106to smoothly follow the movements of the body and the breasts, asexplained in detail below, to hold the breasts as still as possible.Because the support member 16 has some movability, it will support andlift the breasts in a positive way that provides the bearer of thebrassiere 2 great freedom of movement.

Because the support member 16 extends backwardly to the back portion 19and across the back side of the brassiere 2, the support member 16 willalso hold the back of the bearer of the brassiere 2 and contribute to agenerally better carriage of the bearer. In contrast, in the case ofconventional brassieres, they are only focused on holding the front ofthe breasts. The brassiere 2 of the present invention, thus, preventsbad carriage of the bearer while conventional brassieres, that has theirweight held up by shoulder bands, often worsen an already bad carriage.

A transverse edge 18 of the support member 16, particularly the end thatis turned towards the middle portion 14 of the brassiere 2, extends atan inclined angle alpha relative to a vertical edge end portion 26, seeFIG. 2. The transverse edges 18 of two support members that are turnedtowards each other and to the middle portion 14, therefore, reduce a gapthat may be formed between the support members 16 and has the form of asubstantially “upside-down V”. In this way, the support member 16,preferably, allows for free movement of the diaphragm disposed betweenthe cups 6, 8 below the brassiere 2, so that the breathing can beperformed without much hinderance from the brassiere 2. This makes thebrassiere 2 of the present invention particularly suitable for sports,song and other activities requiring heavy and/or efficient breathing.The support member 16 does, therefore, not have any protruding cornersin the middle portion 14 that could stick out from the brassiere 2 andpenetrate into the body fat when the bearer bends forward. The inclinededge 18 of the support member 16 has turned out to effectively followthe body and provide a better distribution of a set of movable flaps 20of the support member 16 so that support member generally provides abetter support for the breast.

As shown in FIG. 2, a set of slits 22 are defined along the edges of thesupport member 16. The slits extend in a direction that is perpendicularto the elongate support member 16 and a portion across the width of thesupport member 16 so that the individual flaps 20 are formed along eachside of the support member 16. In this way, the support member 16 may bebent and adjusts itself to the shape of the body, and the relativelyround shape of the breasts, in a smooth manner, without forminguncomfortable protrusions.

To provide complete support of the breast, the flaps 20 should be ableto spread out and conform to the shape of the breasts to be supported.The bendability of the support member 16 is made easier because theportions 10, 12 are made of an elastic material. If the portions 10, 12were made of an un-elastic material, then the flaps 20 could be forcedtogether and would not be able to spread out in a simple way to adjustthemselves to the shape of the body and the breasts.

The support member 16 has further a number of ventilation openings 24defined in the flaps 20 and along the middle portion 21 of the supportmember 16. The openings 25 are slightly larger than the ventilationopenings 24 because the openings 25 provide for increased ventilationalong the folding line at the middle portion 21 of the support member16. When the brassiere 2 is used, the support member 16 may thus be bentalong this folding line 21 so that its upper part in FIG. 2 may bearagainst the under side of the breast while its lower part bears againstthe body, as best shown in FIG. 4 and described in detail below.

It is very important that the support member 16 is correctly positionedinside the brassiere 2 and for this reason elastic members 106 areattached to the edges 26 at connection points 107 to enable the propermounting of the support members in the correct position. The connectionpoints 107 may be a protruding flap having openings defined therein toreceive the members 106. As described below, the member 106 alsoprovides a surprisingly good and important shock-absorbing function. Themembers 106 provide an unexpected increase in support and absorption ofshock. Even a slightly incorrect position of the support members 16 inthe brassiere 2 may substantially reduce the effective lifting andsupporting function of the support members 16.

The brassiere of the present invention may also be included in clothing,such as sun dresses, gymnastic and sports clothing, swim dresses, bodystockings, and other similar clothing.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the support member of thepresent invention. The support member 16′ has a reduced width segment 30at a rear end 32 of the support member 16′ that provides extra comfortfor the user of the brassiere to increase the use of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic side view of the support member 16 inthree bent positions 100, 102 and 104 compared to a vertical restposition 98 when the brassiere 2 is not in use. The positions 100, 102and 104 illustrate the various positions of the support member 16 tocompensate for any up and down movement of the woman's body when thewoman is, for example, running or moving about in a very active manner.More specifically, when a woman is, for example, running, the body ismoving up and down due to the impact of the foot on the road and themovement is transferred to the breasts.

The brassiere cup 96, as shown in FIG. 4, of the brassiere 2 holds thebreast on an inside of the cup 96. The brassiere 2 of the presentinvention has one end 108 of the shock-absorbing flexible member 106attached to an inside fabric of the brassiere 2 and an opposite end 110attached to the edge 26 at a rear end 27 of the support member 16. Themembers 106 ensure that the support member 16 is correctly positionedwithin the brassiere 2 and functions as a shock absorber to absorb anyup and down movement of the body due to the impact that is created whenthe foot hits the ground or pavement.

An important function of the support member 16 is to act as a springthat cooperates with the shock-absorbing characteristics of the member106 to hold the breast still although the woman may be running. Moreparticularly, the support member 16 is bendable at the middle portion 21of the support member 16 due to the weight of the breast. As best seenin FIG. 3, the middle portion 21 should be about half way up from alower edge of the support member 16. Preferably, the middle portion 21is reinforced to prevent the support member 16 from completely foldingdue to the downward forces of the breasts. The thickness of the supportmember 16 may be made thicker at the middle portion 21 to provide extrasupport. It is also possible to use varied thicknesses on the supportmember 16 and different stiffness of the flaps 20 and the members 106 sothat the stiffness and support properties of the entire brassiere may beadjusted to the specific needs of the user. The connection points 107should be about ⅔ of the way up from the lower edge of the supportmember 16 so that the connection points 107 are located on the uppersection 116. It is important that there is a distance between theconnection points 107 and the middle portion 21, i.e., that theconnection points 107 are disposed at a higher level than the middleportion 21 because when the support member 16 is, for example, exposedto a great downward force, the members 106 prevent the upper section 116of the support member 16 from bending too much. If the support member 16is bent too much about the middle portion 21, then the support memberdoes not provide the desired support to the breast and the breast maybounce downwardly, which may damage ligaments and other parts. Also, ifthe upper section 116 is permitted to bend too much, a dangerous edgemay be formed along the middle portion 21 that could severely damage thebreast. The support section may even break along the middle portion.Because the members 106 are stiffer than the support member 16, themembers act as a shock absorber and stop any excessive bending of theupper portion 116 about the middle portion 21 while the upper portion116 has a springing effect to accommodate minor up and down movements ofthe body and the breasts.

When the woman is standing still, the support member may be in thesecond position 102. The support member 16 may move between the position100 and 104 to hold the breast as still as possible when the woman isrunning, which causes the body to move up and down. The running motionof the body translates into a vertical load component L_(v) and ahorizontal load component L_(h) of the breast. When the body is moveddownwardly, the support member 16 may move into the position 100 so thatthe breast is permitted to remain stationary while the body movesdownwardly. Similarly, the support member 16 may move from the highposition 100 to the low position 104 when the body is moving up, tominimize any up and down movement of the breasts and to smooth out themovements of the breasts.

Correspondingly, the elastic member 106 acts as a shock absorber and maystretch somewhat from the rest position 102 to the extended position 104and may then be retracted to the position 100 to compensate for any upand down movement of the body. As mentioned above, the elongate member106 is, preferably, stiffer than the bendability of the support member16 to further minimize any up and down movement of the breasts. Theelastic member 106 mainly provides a horizontal pulling force P_(h) whenthe brassiere reaches, for example, the lower position 104 while thesupport member 16 provides a vertical pulling force P_(v).

A lower end 114 of the support member 16 may be pressed against the bodyof the women below the breasts as the support member 16 pivots about themiddle portion 21 while an upper end 116 is bendable to keep the breastas still as possible as the remaining part of the body is moving up anddown. Because upper end 116 conforms to the shape of the breast heldinside the breast cup 98, the pressure is evenly distributed over theentire lower part of the breast. Only about 20% of the load is carriedby the shoulder bands while the remaining 80% of the load is evenlydistributed by the brassiere's lower parts around the breasts and theback. In contrast to sport bras, there is no need to tightly hold thebreasts, which inhibits the breathing of the woman, or to have a verytight or stiff band below the breasts that is both uncomfortable andinhibiting.

While the present invention has been described in accordance withpreferred compositions and embodiments, it is to be understood thatcertain substitutions and alterations may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A method of using a brassiere device on a woman's bodyhaving a breast, comprising: (a) providing a brassiere (2) having abendable support member (16) disposed therein, a shock-absorbingresilient member (106) having one end attached to an inside of thebrassiere (2) and an opposite end attached to the support member (16)and the resilient member (106) being stiffer than the bendable supportmember (16), the support member (16) having a bendable line (21)extending along the support member (16) and transverse slits (22) formedalong longitudinal edges of the support member; (b) placing the breastinside the brassiere (2) and bending the support member (16) outwardlyalong the bendable line (21) to a first position (100) relative to thebody so that the breast is being supported by the support member (16);(c) extending the shock-absorbing resilient member (106) from a restposition to a first extended position; (d) pressing a lower end (114) ofthe brassiere (2) against the body; (e) the breast applying a load (L)on the support member (16) and bending the support member (16) outwardlyfrom the first position (100) to a second position (102), the load (L)having a horizontal component (L_(h)) and a vertical component (L_(v));(f) extending the resilient member (106) from the first extendedposition to a second extended position; (g) while in the second extendedposition, the resilient member (106) providing a horizontal pullingforce (P_(h)) that is being greater than the horizontal component(L_(h)) of the load (L) of the breast and the support member (16)providing a vertical pulling force (P_(v)) that is being the verticalcomponent (L_(v)) of the load (L) of the breast; and (h) bending thesupport member (16) inwardly from the second position (102) passed thefirst position (100) and retracting the resilient member (106).
 2. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein step (a) further comprises placingthe support member (16) in a protective bag (17) that is slidablydisposed inside the brassiere (2).
 3. The method according to claim 1wherein the method further comprises providing the support member (16)with flaps (20) and spreading out the flaps (20) to conform the flaps(20) to a shape of the breast.
 4. The method according to claim 1wherein the method further comprises connecting the resilient member(106) at a connection point (107) of the support member (16).
 5. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein step (a) further comprises the stepof providing the support member (16′) with a reduced width segment (30).6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprisesreleasing a pressure provided by the lower end (114) against the body.7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprisesproviding the support member (16) with a plurality of flaps (20) havingdifferent stiffness.
 8. The method according to claim 1 wherein step (a)further comprises providing the support member (16) with a slanted shortedge (18).
 9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the bendable line(21) is disposed in the middle of the support member (16) and theresilient member (106) is attached about ⅔ up from a lower edge of thesupport member (16).